Motorists can expect intermittent ramp closures in both directions of I-96 between Kent Lake Road and I-275 on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2.

The intermittent closures will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The closures, which will last for about an hour at each ramp, will allow crews to make pavement markings as part of a multi-year reconstruction of I-96 in western Oakland County.

Weather affects all work and may results in delays or cancellations.

The construction project, which is nearing completion, also includes the creation of flex lanes in each direction of the freeway between Kent Lake Road and I-275.

A flex lane uses a highway’s shoulder as a traveling lane during heavy traffic periods in the morning and afternoon. The flex lanes will go into effect early next year.

 

The Royal Oak City Commission voted unanimously on Monday, Oct. 28, to approve an employment contract with Joseph Gacioch to serve as the next city manager.

The commission chose Gacioch, currently serving as city manager in Ferndale, over one other candidate who was interviewed Oct. 12.

Gacioch will begin his new role as top administrator on Jan. 6. He will be responsible for managing Royal Oak’s day-to-day operations, implementing policies set by the commission, and collaborating with residents, businesses and stakeholders.

Gacioch holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration, according to a release from Royal Oak.

He has 20 years of experience in municipal management and will bring expertise in strategic planning, public finance, parking system administration, priority-based budgeting, employee engagement and crisis communications, the release said.

He is involved in several professional and civic organizations, including the Michigan Municipal Executives, where he serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Additionally, he is a credentialed manager under the International City/County Management Association.

“A longtime advocate for sustainability and community engagement, Gacioch led the development of Ferndale’s first climate action plan and has established himself as a skilled coach in employee engagement improvement,” the release said.

Two interim city managers have served the city since last December, when former City Manager Paul Brake resigned.

Two other Oakland County cities – Berkley and Troy –  have recently hired or are in the process of hiring new city managers.

Westbound I-696 will have just one lane open from Evergreen Road to I-275 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

However, after 5 p.m., there will be two lanes open in each direction.

The lane restrictions will allow crews to prepare to move traffic from the shared lanes to the normal east and west configuration. Currently, both directions share the eastbound side.

If the weather doesn’t permit the work on Saturday, it will be moved to Sunday.

MDOT says these ramps will reopen by early November:

– Northbound US-24/Telegraph Road to northbound M-10

– Evergreen Road to westbound I-696

– Franklin Road to westbound I-696

– Northbound Orchard Lake Road ramp to westbound I-696

Eastbound I-696 will remain in its current configuration from I-275 to Evergreen Road as crews complete median barrier wall work and begin removing temporary barriers.

All of the work is part of the $275 million Restore the Reuther project, a multi-year reconstruction of I-696 from I-275 to east of Telegraph Road.

By late November, westbound I-696 is expected to have all lanes open from Lahser Road to I-275. Eastbound I-696 is expected to have all lanes reopened by December as the project wraps up.

Landscaping and other work that will not affect motorists will occur next spring.

Americans love Halloween. Or should we say, Americans love to spend money for Halloween. The National Retail Federation estimates that in 2024 collectively we’ll spend $3.8 billion on decorations, $3.8 billion on costumes, $3.5 billion on candy and sweets, and a paltry $500 million on greeting cards.

With all that cash flowing, where do those decorations end up? Likely in your neighbors’ yards (and if you are honest, maybe in yours, too).

So who is going all out this year? We sent our reporters into Oakland County’s neighborhoods to find out, and here’s what they found.

ROYAL OAK

“I get a little carried away,” said Dennis Murphy of Royal Oak, describing his Halloween display on Maplegrove Avenue, in the area of Woodward and Catalpa.

Skeletons are crawling up the front of the house. The yard is filled with zombie babies and other figures. Six projectors create spooky videos on the windows and walls of the home.

Murphy makes some of the items in the display himself, using windshield wiper motors and PVC pipe.

He started doing the displays about 25 years ago when his children were young. His daughter, Mackay, now helps him put it all together.

“Every year we add something new,” he said. “I’m running out of room.”

He’s motivated to keep doing the displays by people who come back every year and tell him how much they love it.

Every year, he and his wife, Lori, give out full-size candy bars to trick-or-treaters.

They’ve given away as many as 250 bars in one Halloween. Last year, even with inclement weather, they had about 150 trick-or-treaters.

— Anne Runkle

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WATERFORD TOWNSHIP

For 31 years Victoria and Steve Fage have used lights, beads, gargoyles, a host of skeletons and other props to decorate the two yards they own on Lochaven Road for Halloween.

The Lochaven Haunted Halloween House in Waterford Township has its own black-and-orange sign. Visitors walking through the displays will find spots, like an old hearse in one spot and airplane seats in another where they “can sit and have their own Kodak moment with a selfie,” Steve said.

There’s enough space for multiple themes and what he calls “moving art-in-progress.”

Victoria Fage, 52, said they started with Halloween backyard parties and used a display so guests could find their house. In those days, the street was a dirt road. Now it’s paved and more people stop by. Some friends dress up to gently scare visitors.

“We don’t like to scare the little kids because then they don’t want to come back,” Steve said. “But we see everyone from infants to 90-year-olds.”

They also see people who visited as children and are bringing their own children to experience the fun.

Steve, 57, said it’s best to come just before dusk so little ones can see displays light up as the sun sets.

They plan the display’s footprint each September and spend three weeks in October setting it up. This year’s show includes 1,000 feet of fence and $500 worth of corn stalks and straw.

It’s free to visit; a donation box is used to support a different charity each year, Victoria said.

Steve sums up the reasons they decorate every year: “Passion, smiles, happy people.”

— Peg McNichol

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CLARKSTON

For Brandon Guelde and his wife, Brenda, it started with one Halloween skeleton and grew from there.

The couple had purchased Brandon’s grandmother’s house on Church Street near Buffalo Street in Clarkston in May 2023 and he spotted a “giant pumpkin guy” online and wanted to put it up in the yard.

“My wife said, ‘If you get the orange pumpkin guy, you have to go all out,’ ” said Guelde. “So it was a done deal and I went from there.”

Eighteen months later for his second Halloween, Guelde has a yard filled with gargoyles, cornstalks, spiderwebs and headstones, with giant pumpkin guy at the center of it all.

This year he added remote sensor lighting, spotlights and a witch on the roof for the full Halloween effect.

Guelde has filled out his entire front yard, porch and roof with the decorations over two weekends and has received rave reviews from both young and old alike.

“The word got out in my daughter’s kindergarten class about what we put up and (the kids) asked their parents to drive by and check it out and they loved it,” said Guelde. “Neighbors and people just walking by said they love what we have done.”

Although his grandmother, Geraldine Sawyer, has not seen in person what Brandon has transformed her former home into, she has seen pictures.

“He has sent me several pictures of it and it looks fantastic and he absolutely loves doing it,” said Sawyer. “Brenda does the front porch and it is a joint project and they love doing it.”

Guelde, a mechanical engineer, estimated he has spent over $2,000 on decorations so far and he is not done yet.

“I want to put a zip line in and have a ghost flying back and forth from the house to the tree out front and I have a few other ideas I am working on,” he said. “It is just a fun thing to do every year.”

For Guelde, the work that goes into transforming his property every year is worth it.

“I get a ton of enjoyment out of how much enjoyment other people get,” said Brandon.

— Matt Fahr

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COMMERCE TOWNSHIP

Check out Chateau Road off Benstein Road in Commerce Township for an extraordinary Halloween display.

The massive creation of homeowner Jeff Leininger — covering his front and side yards — is an eclectic showing of all things ghoulish to celebrate the spooky season.

“I like making things,” Leininger said. “I do it for my own pleasure” noting that the display has been growing year-by-year since he and his family moved into the home in 1998.

If people get a kick out of it, that makes it even better, he said.

Many of the elements are animated by windshield wiper motors, including a creepy girl on a swing, a vomiting ghoul, a corpse-like creature that seemingly springs to life on a stretcher, and another who meets his fate in an “electric” chair.”

There are also skeletons galore, skulls, a massive, hairy spider with a spiderling-filled web, a giant werewolf, a tomb-filled cemetery, and a “toxic waste” site among many others. One of the ghouls is adorned with real human hair, donated to Leininger by his brother who shaved his head in support of a loved one’s fight with cancer.

Beth, his wife, helps find ideas for display and always gifts him with something Halloween-themed for their wedding anniversary which is in early October, he said.

Leininger, a lieutenant and firefighter/paramedic with the Commerce Township Fire Department, estimates he’s spent around $3,000 on materials and countless hours so far to build his extravaganza.

Each year it takes about a week to set it all up — which he typically starts on Oct. 1. Nov. 1 is tear down day. After a drying out period in the garage, Leinenger stores it all in various spots — an attic garage, his basement, a treehouse fort from his kids’ childhood days many years ago, and a shed.

“(Storage) was full last year, and since I added three more things this year, it could be a problem… I’ll probably have to build another shed,” he said.

— Aileen Wingblad

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OTHERS

FARMINGTON HILLS

Simone Elatab was outside her home on Rutgers Drive, in the area of Nine Mile and Haggerty roads in Farmington Hills, when she heard someone laughing. It turns out that neighborhood children were taking photos of her elaborate Halloween display, highlighted by a family of skeletons sitting around a bonfire in a cemetery. “It just makes me happy,” she said. “I love Halloween. I’ve been doing this for years. Nobody on the street decorates. It’s sad. So I just figured, go big or go home.”

— Anne Runkle

FARMINGTON HILLS

Tracy Collins of Farmington Hills spends about a week on the Halloween decorations outside her home on Middlebelt Road between 10 Mile and 11 Mile roads in Farmington Hills. It draws a lot of attention from students at the nearby East Middle School. “I like when kids come to trick-or-treat and it makes them happy,” she said. Collins has acquired Halloween decorations over the past 10 years, The city of St. Clair Shores awarded her display at a previous home. This will be her third Halloween in Farmington Hills. Hundreds of lights outline the house. Whimsical inflatable characters – taller than the house – occupy the lawn. It won’t be long before her husband, Rob, will spend two to three weeks putting up their Christmas display.

— Anne Runkle

FARMINGTON HILLS

A large, black Grim Reaper forms an arch over the path that leads to the front door of the Menzel home on Brandywine Road, in the area of Farmington Road and 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. The reaper is joined by large, inflatable monsters and other creatures on the front lawn. “Neighborhood kids come by; they’re always so excited,” Jessica Menzel said. The Menzels’ own children, ages 8 and 11, also find joy in the display, she said.

— Anne Runkle

ROCHESTER

For the house on University Drive just east of the Henry Ford Health Rochester Hospital, one homeowner has adjusted his set of giant skeletons with Detroit Lions jerseys to celebrate the team’s recent successes. Over the years, this home has been a highlight of the Halloween season, with 2023 featuring an assortment of giant clown skeletons.

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OTHER READER FAVORITES

WATERFORD TOWNSHIP
The Crypt, 4060 Quillen Ave., east of Seebaldt Avenue.
Baybrook Haunted Cemetery, 3650 Baybrook Drive, between Watkins Lake Road and Terness Avenue.

Registered nurses at Corewell Health’s eight hospitals in the Detroit area will vote next month on whether to be represented by the Teamsters union.

More than 9,600 nurses would become part of Nurses for Nurses, a committee of the Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43 in Detroit, according to a statement from the National Labor Relations Board.

The NLRB said the nurses’ petition to unionize is one of the largest in recent history, based on the number of potential members affected.

Corewell nurses at hospitals in Troy, Royal Oak, Farmington Hills, Taylor, Trenton, Dearborn, Grosse Pointe and Wayne are affected, as well as those who work at Corewell’s offices in Southfield.

The union election will be held Nov. 12-14 at all the hospitals and the Southfield offices.

The Detroit NLRB office will begin tallying the votes Nov. 15; election results will be made public.

Eligible voters include full-time and regular part-time registered nurses, including casual, contingent, flex and charge nurses, according to the NLRB.

Kevin Moore, president of Joint Council 43, which represents all Teamsters in Michigan,  expressed confidence that the nurses would vote overwhelmingly to join the union.

“It’s about rights, dignity and proper pay,” he said. “They’re exhausted. They can’t even take lunch or breaks. They’re eating on the run.”

He said nurse-to-patient ratios vary in Corewell hospitals, but some nurses are caring for 30 patients or more at a time.

“These are highly trained people. The doctor or surgeon may do your operation, but it’s the nurses who get you back on your feet,” Moore said.

Corewell, formerly Beaumont Health, said in a statement, “We respect our team members’ rights to explore joining a union, however, we believe our ability to provide high quality care to our patients and maintain a positive work environment is best achieved through a direct working relationship with our nurses.”

The Heartland Marketplace grocery in Farmington Hills is closing Oct. 30, but an international market will be moving in.

Abdullah Alawdi, a partner in Al-Haramain International Foods, confirmed that the chain will open in the Heartland space, 33250 W. 12 Mile Road at Farmington Road, in mid-November.

An existing Al-Haramain location at 24065 Orchard Lake Road, near 10 Mile Road in Farmington, will remain open. There is also a store on Joseph Campau in Hamtramck.

Alawdi said the partners are excited about the new location because it will have more space.

Al-Haramain carries foods representing at least 25 countries, he said.

“We have Korean, Chinese, Middle Eastern, European, Indian, African and more.” he said.

Heartland representatives could not be reached for comment.

Heartland is an independent, family owned chain, according to its website. A location on Ford Road in Westland is remaining in business.

 

 

Bloomfield Township officers searched Bloomfield Hills High School after police received a threat of violence Wednesday, Oct. 16, but found no weapons or other evidence of a threat being carried out.

The threat came in at about 12:30 p.m. via the 988 national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, according to a release from the Bloomfield Township Police Department.

“While we are very early in this investigation, initial information leads us to believe that this was a ‘swatting’ incident,” the release said.

Swatting is when someone reports a fake, serious crime, usually in order to rush first responders to the scene.

The high school, 4200 Andover Drive, was notified and activated a shelter in place, the release said. No one can enter or leave but school functions as normal during shelter in place..

“Every police officer was immediately dispatched and they began searching the high school. A complete sweep of the high school was conducted; no credible threats or weapons were located,” the release said.

“The Bloomfield Township Police Department takes all threats to our schools extremely seriously. We will continue to investigate this case using every resource available.

“We are thankful to all of our area departments for their willingness to respond and assist us in this very serious call. Out of an abundance of caution, we will be exhibiting extra patrols at our schools for the remainder of the week.”

School was released early and families were directed to pick up their children at Kirk in the Hills Church, avoiding the high school to keep traffic clear, according to a post on the Police Department’s Facebook page.

Bloomfield Hills Schools said in a release that its social workers, psychologists and counselors would be available for students and staff.

“Bloomfield Hills Schools wants to commend our students, high school staff, and police partners for remaining calm and following district protocols. Ensuring a safe and secure learning environment remains BHS’s top priority for both students and staff,” the release said.
 

 

Several of Stephanie Fakih’s colleagues on the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees have joined Jewish groups in condemning an alleged post on a social media account with her name on it that was harshly critical of Zionists.

An image posted on X by the group StopAntisemitism showed a Friday, Oct. 4 message from an account featuring Fakih’s first and last name that read, “Israeli Zionists are the scum of the earth and the only people on par are American Zionists.”

The Oakland Press could not independently verify the post on X, formerly Twitter, or whether the account belonged to Fakih. The account is private and only approved followers can see messages. Fakih did not respond to a request to get access to the page, but she later said that the account is private because she has received death threats. She did not confirm or deny that she posted the remark about Zionists.

Response to the alleged post was swift.

StopAntisemitism countered with its own X post on Oct. 5 that read: “StopAntisemitism is disgusted to see Bloomfield Township Board of Trustee member Stephanie Fakih refer to 95%+ of Jews globally as ‘scum’. Bloomfield is home to one of Michigan’s largest Jewish populations. This vile hate must not be tolerated – Stephanie Fakih must step down.”

The group included a screenshot of the post, a link to Fakih’s bio on the township’s website, and a photo of the trustee.

Fakih said in a text message to The Oakland Press that she did not use the term “scum” to describe Jews and would not comment on whether she used it to describe Zionists.

She said she would make a statement at the board’s next meeting scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14 in the auditorium at Township Hall, 4200 Telegraph Road.

Zionism is a movement that had as its original aim the creation of a country for Jewish people; Zionists now support the state of Israel.

Critics of Israel, who sometimes call themselves anti-Zionists, say that speaking out about the country’s practices should not be equated with antisemitism.

Anti-Zionism should be viewed as anti-racist, according to the group Jewish Voice for Peace, which advocates for an end to Israel’s occupation of lands occupied by Palestinians.

“We maintain our obligation to call out antisemitism framed as anti-Zionism wherever we see it,” said Carolyn Normandin, regional director of the Michigan Anti-Defamation League, in a statement.

“This comment is deeply troubling. Vilifying those supporting Israel, as the vast majority of American Jews do, by calling them “scum” is damaging and irresponsible, especially at a time of rising antisemitism,” she said.

Bloomfield Township Treasurer Michael Schostak, Supervisor Dani Walsh and Clerk Martin Brook issued a joint statement Thursday, Oct. 9, in which they said they were “deeply disturbed” by Fakih’s alleged post.

“Her views do not represent us, nor did she speak in an official capacity on behalf of Bloomfield Township,” the three elected officials said.

“We are proud of our community’s diversity and we recognize that diversity as a source of strength.  While we recognize her right to free speech, as township trustees, it is our duty to represent and serve everyone equally and with respect. But, her divisive and dehumanizing rhetoric undermined those values and wounded many residents.”

Fakih’s term ends Nov. 20; the three officials urged her to use her remaining time on the board to “help heal those wounds.”

The Oakland Press reached out for comment from national and Michigan spokespeople for the Council on American-Islamic Relations but they did not respond.

Fakih won election to the board in 2020; she is not running for re-election on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Four years ago, she was among several Democrats – including Brook and Walsh –  who won seats on the board that had been dominated by Republicans for decades.

According to her profile on the township’s website, she also serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals. She grew up in the township, attended Birmingham Public Schools, and graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School and the University of Michigan.

After graduating from Fordham University School of Law in New York, she moved back to Michigan in 2014 and opened her criminal defense practice, Rights First Law.

On a website for her campaign for state representative two years ago, Fakih said her parents immigrated to the United States in the 1980s.

The Oakland County Health Division is reminding residents to prevent mosquito-borne illness by avoiding mosquito bites while they work or recreate outside during the fall.

Mosquitoes remain active until the first hard frost of the year, according to a release from the county.

“Keep protecting yourself against mosquitoes as we transition into fall,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, Oakland County’s director of Health & Human Services. “As you enjoy outdoor fall festivities like football games and cider mills, take steps to prevent mosquito bites.”

Most people with mosquito-borne diseases have either no symptoms or experience a mild illness, such as fever, headache and body aches.

However, some people have a more serious illness, in which inflammation and swelling of the brain can develop.

Follow these prevention tips:

– Use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent. All EPA-registered repellents are evaluated for safety and effectiveness, and will contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol as the active ingredient. Repellents containing a higher percentage of the active ingredient typically provide longer-lasting protection.

– Always follow the product label instructions.

– Use care when using repellent on the hands of children, as it may irritate the eyes and mouth.

– Turn over any container that can collect water. Once a week, empty items that hold water such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, flowerpots and trash containers. Eliminating standing water eliminates mosquito breeding sites.

– Clean clogged roof gutters, especially if leaves tend to plug the drains.

– Treat standing water, such as retention ponds or drainage ditches, with a mosquito larvicide. It is easy to use and can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

– Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.

– Limit outdoor activity from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

– Make sure there are no holes in window and door screens. Do not prop doors open.

West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes are infected with the viruses by biting infected animals, such as birds or deer. The viruses are spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.

The county traps and tests mosquito pools at numerous locations. This year, one pool tested positive for WNV. Seven Oakland County birds also tested positive for the virus. Two human cases were reported.

For more information on mosquito-borne diseases, go to the Health Division’s website at oakgov.com/health or contact Nurse on Call at 800-848-5533 or noc@oakgov.com. Nurse on Call is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Two text messages issued statewide that contained false or misleading election information have prompted the Troy City Clerk’s Office to remind residents where they can get valid updates.

One message directed the receiver to return the ballot as soon as possible, misleading because the Nov. 5 election is still weeks away.

The other message said the receiver’s ballot was invalid and should be destroyed.

The text messages were all in caps and appeared to come from a governmental agency, but they did not.

The city said in a release that the Troy Clerk’s Office wants to remind residents of the following:

– The Clerk’s Office does not send text messages.

– The Clerk’s Office does not call residents except to return messages. Those return calls are only from 248-524-3316 or 248-524-3317.

– If you are questioning the validity of a phone call or text related to election information, call the Clerk’s Office at 248-524-3316, send an email to elections@troymi.gov or visit troymi.gov/elections.

–  Email communication from the city is only from @troymi.gov email addresses; faxes are from 248-524-1770; mail is from 500 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48084 and will include the city seal, city logo or the official election mail logo.

Additionally, all valid and up-to-date election information can be found at troymi.gov/elections or mvic.sos.state.mi.us.